1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to agricultural implements, and, more particularly, to a bearing assembly used with a rolling basket of an agricultural tillage implement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Farmers utilize a wide variety of tillage implements to prepare soil for planting. Some such implements include two or more sections coupled together to perform multiple functions as they are pulled through fields by a tractor. For example, a field cultivator is capable of simultaneously tilling soil and leveling the tilled soil in preparation for planting. A field cultivator has a frame that carries a number of cultivator shanks with shovels at their lower ends for tilling the soil. The field cultivator converts compacted soil into a level seedbed with a consistent depth for providing excellent conditions for planting of a crop. Grass or residual crop material disposed on top of the soil is also worked into the seedbed so that it does not interfere with a seeding implement subsequently passing through the seedbed.
A field cultivator as described above may also include an optional rear auxiliary implement for finishing the seedbed for seeding. For example, a rear auxiliary implement may include a spike tooth harrow, spring tooth harrow, rolling basket, etc., or any combination thereof. The rolling basket has a reel with a plurality of blades for breaking clods into smaller sizes and chopping up the debris still remaining on the top of the soil.
The rolling basket arrangement can be used to roll behind the rows of tines of a harrow, to flatten the ridges left by the tines and move the residual crop material into the soil to enhance contact with the soil. The rolling basket is used to provide a firm, level field with coarse soil on top that resists crusting, with the finer soil particles at planting depth for optimum seed-to-soil contact.
The rolling baskets generally have bearings located at each end of the basket. As the baskets traverse a field the bars that impact clods of dirt and variations in the soil cause the bars to flex which translates to a flexure of the end plates, which are connected to the bearings. This kind of motion causes stress on the bearings resulting in bearing oscillation and premature bearing failure.
What is needed in the art is a bearing assembly that can withstand oscillating angular forces encountered by the bearings of rolling baskets of an agricultural tillage implement.